AUSTRALIAN SAILING – IRC REPORT
Glen Stanaway
The main issue being addressed head on is the declining take up of certification amongst existing fleets and events globally. Australian Sailing’s management team has been working hard to reverse the situation in Australia by writing articles and producing YouTube clips for media to members, race officials and clubs. The intention is to create a ‘constant conversation’ domestically about ratings raising their prominence and place in boat owners’ and clubs’ minds. We expect that the results of this won’t be seen for 18 months to two years as it is a ‘long game’ and will take time to imprint the benefits of being rated and racing in these divisions in owners’ minds.
Belgium Report for IRC in 2016
The fleet:
• Number of IRC certificates on 31/08/2015: 56 (-24% compared to IRC fleet 2014) • Number of IRC certificates on 30/09/2016 : 44 (-21%/-41% compared to IRC fleet 2015/2014) • Number of new IRC boats (Age date 2016): 0 (0% of IRC fleet 2016) • Number of new IRC boats (no IRC certificate in 2015): 5 (11% of IRC fleet 2016) • Number of non-renewals 2015-2016: 23 (41% of IRC fleet 2015)
The number of Belgian IRC boats that is racing regularly has decreased to below 20. This number is becoming critically low. Besides the regular racers a small number of boats is choosing racing events on an ad hoc basis and is sometimes asking an IRC certificate for one event only.
The number of boats that raced occasionally in IRC in 2014 or 2015, and that stopped racing in IRC or in all rating systems in 2016 is significant, as is the number of boats that stopped sailing all together. There are free berths in all ports in our region (Belgium, the North of France and the South of The Netherlands).
The 5 boats with new IRC certificates in 2016 are mostly existing teams that started racing on another boat. There was no real influx of new sailors or new teams in 2016.
Boats wanting to compete in the recreational races in Belgium tend to choose the simple local formula of CR (Cruiser Rating, 290 CR certificates in total). They choose this system not for its high standard but for its simplicity. Most of these boats only participate in the recreational races of their own club. Only a few participate occasionally in other races.
The racing:
There have been no major changes in the IRC race program for 2016 compared to 2015. The race program of the Open North Sea Championship is concentrated around 5 weekends along the Belgian coast with an extension to Ramsgate in the South-East of England and Breskens in the South of Holland. These five events are well organized. Only the race Ostend-Ramsgate and the Breskens Sailing Weekend attract a significant number of sailors from all over the Belgian coast (when the weather is gentle), and even occasional Dutch, French and English participants.
The events attracted a lower number of participants compared to 2015, and almost no boats participated in every race of the series. Teams reduced their race programs, mainly due to not finding adequate crew. The formula of the series doesn’t seem to motivate teams to compete to all the events. The numbers of 2016 prove that we need to rethink this formula.
It remains a concern in Belgium that very few new teams are coming on the water. This trend is mostly an IRC trend, although it can also be seen in other sailing fleets. Local club races (Saturday afternoon or Wednesday evening) with a simple formula are making progress.
The best teams are looking for competition in France (Spi Ouest), Holland (North Sea Regatta) and England (Around the island, Cowes Week, Brewin Dolphin Commodores’ Cup, IRC Nationals). Also there, the number of Belgian participants is decreasing, but those who go on are able to score in these events.
Concerns about the IRC rating:
The impression exists that some specific type of boats have a very good rating compared to the average performance of that type of boat. We think of JPK 10.10, JPK 10.80, Archambault A35, Grand Soleil 43 (previous generation, series date 2005), Ker 39, Ker 40. These boats are considered as “excellent IRC boats”. Other boats seem to have a lower ratio performance-TCC. We think of a Swan 45, that is rarely found on the podium of an IRC race, even if sailed by very competent crew.
When new “excellent IRC boats” appear in the fleet, with competent crew, this can be very discouraging for other crews, who believe that they can never win with their boat because of their TCC.
Is this a concern of Belgium only, or is this a more wide spread concern? Is this an IRC concern only, or does this concern also exist in ORC?
Reasons for not choosing IRC:
The main reasons we see why owners choose the local CR system instead of IRC are:
• The simplicity of CR versus the (perceived) complexity of IRC • The race courses that are less technical in CR and can more easily be sailed with less crew (although the IRC courses have moved from upwind-downwind only to a mix of upwind- downwind and coastal races) • The better teams sail in IRC, so the less skilled teams believe they will not have any chance to obtain a decent result in the IRC fleet • The price of CR (€ 20) compared to IRC (+€ 100 for boats of +10m)
Rule changes:
There are no Belgian suggestions for rule changes in 2017. IRC report from Canada 2016
Number of certificates in 2015 36
Number of certificates in 2016 31
Number of Renewed Certificates 2016 25
Number of New Certificates 2016 6
Percentage of Endorsed certificates 100%
One certificate is from New Brunswick, 3 certificates are from Nova Scotia, one certificate is from Quebec and the rest are all in the Greater Toronto, Ontario area.
The majority of IRC racing in Canada is in the Toronto, Ontario area. We have one Open Regatta a month from May to September, with 2 Open Regattas in August. There is a one week regatta at the end of July and a couple of distance races, 72 miles and 300 miles.
The majority of racers in the Toronto area are One Design boats, J 105, J 80, Melges 20, Etchells, Beneteau First 36.7 etc. IRC boats make up the largest fleet by number of entries and are the largest handicap fleet with just a few boats racing PHRF.
FRANCE
2016 - A year of observation and tests
With a change of leadership at the UNCL and the French association of IRC boat owners - PROP-IRC, 2016 has been a transitional year during which a new racing programme has been trialled.
IRC racing in France is based on 2 types of regattas:
- club-specific racing: les Voiles de Saint Tropez or the training regattas in Marseille, Saint- Malo, la Trinité sur Mer and Pornic; - events organised by clubs that are part of the IRC-UNCL championships (French clubs) or further afield, international regattas - RORC offshore races in the Channel, Giraglia, Palermo - Monaco.
The IRC-UNCL championships include one or several regattas, and various formats: crewed, double- handed and single-handed.
The conclusion we can come to is by nature several fold, as the parameters to be taken into account are numerous and vary greatly.
Generally speaking, 2016 has confirmed the trend of less boat owners lining up to take part in regattas. On 16 September 2016, 565 owners entered their boats in IRC regattas, a 9% drop compared to 2015.
However, this trend is different in each French maritime area and also depends on the type of race. The types of boats taking part haven't really changed.
Crew races – IRC UNCL
A very different situation depending on the area.
Mediterranean - 280 boats ranked and 13 regattas - making significant gains on the Atlantic - 158 boats ranked and the Channel area - 148 boats ranked in the East Channel area and 119 in the West Channel area.
Between Monaco and Camargue, traditional French races such as the Semaine Internationale de Marseille – SNIM – or the Porquerolles Regatta and international events such as Palermo-Monaco and the Giraglia are very attractive to IRC 1, 2 and 3 fleets (>1,099 / > 1,074 / 1,009). The IRC 4 fleets, with over 70 boats ranked, have a more regional base.
In the Atlantic area, the IRC Crewed fleet is concentrated in 3 races out of the 7 on the programme: The Spi Ouest France, the Armen Race and the Tour du Finistère. However, there was an overall drop in participants.
In the Channel area, crews mainly turned to RORC regattas, where they have found success. The inshore IRC races (Saint Malo or Le Havre) are less and less attractive to racers.
Double-handed events – IRC UNCL They are a success in all maritime areas, with a fleet ranging from 31 feet to 36 feet. Some of the boats that once raced with crews are now lining up for these events: less costly, fewer crew problems, more sporting commitment required.
In the Mediterranean area, 80 boats are ranked in the 6 regattas already completed (8 on the programme).
In the Atlantic area, 85 boats were ranked in 5 races, with large numbers of participants in the Armen Race and the Duo Catamania, which are characterised by ambitious programmes (long offshore course and stage race).
In the Channel, 55 boats were ranked in a 6 race championship. The programme is also geared towards offshore racing.
Solo events – IRC UNCL
In the Channel area, sailors have remained focussed on the SORC programme.
In the Mediterranean, 28 boats (3 events) competed during the first season for these types of races.
Potential changes in events
- Crew racing o In the Mediterranean: new events on the programme including most notably the 2017 IRC European Championships in Marseille o In the Atlantic and Channel areas: increase in participation in events that qualify crews for the Fastnet Race - Double-handed racing o Continued development of offshore programmes in the 3 maritime areas o Strengthening of preparation for the 2017-2018 Transquadra to the Caribbean - Single-handed events: o Development of a training platform programme for high level monotype events in France
Traditionally, the UNCL is supported by clubs in the different areas when they organise events. In the future, the UNCL will replicate what was achieved with the offshore race DRHEAM CUP and be increasingly involved in the organisation of some events.
Developments we would like to see for the IRC Rule
Although the opening of the IRC rule and its adaptation to technological developments seems generally fairly satisfactory, the issue of measurements taking is more complicated. This is what has emerged from the French IRC Rule Authority Ethical Committee created this year, as well as the requests made by owners.
Many similar questions have been raised with the Rule Authority and measurers, and the latter also have their own questions. Differences in the answers given to owners can only lead to suspicion related to the application of the same rules to calculate boat's TCC.
Today, two points that concern the owner community are: - the measurement of waterline length by subtraction of the overhang measurement from the overall hull length. The ideal conditions for these measurements are rarely met. Could a theoretical calculation be made based on the certified measurements of the hull and the weight measured in conditions that are clearly defined?
- the measurement of sail dimensions in conditions for which it is difficult to guarantee uniformity in practice. It appears that the tension applied to the sails by owners and measurers can lead to discrepancies. It would be appropriate that a measurement rule that is easier to understand may be applied, avoiding many disputes and questions that are always damaging to the image of consistency the rule requires.
These two major points in France seem to be the source of:
- questioning from owners in other countries as found in discussions during international regattas - the application of measurement rules in practice that may differ from one country to another. Particular attention must be brought on these two issues in 2017.
Finally, we must salute the implementation of more open communication with owners and their crew through the regular publication of information on Facebook. We hope that this has long term outcomes.
IRC Congress 2016
Report from Great Britain and Northern Ireland (GBR)
The total number of IRC rated boats at 31 August 2016 fell slightly compared to the same date in 2015 – 1,437 compared with 1,500 or a drop of 4%. The reduction in rated boats was generally spread across all sailing areas with only the Channel Islands showing a substantial increase – 14 additional boats (+23%) bringing the fleet back to the 2014 level. The total is still higher than in 2013 & 2014 (1328 & 1379) and is mainly a reflection of the Start Up Scheme, see below.
The number of boats issued with Single Event Ratings (SER) dropped from 126 to 99; the majority of applications for SERs were for only 4 events, all on the Solent: the Round the Island Race, Cowes Week, Panerai British Classics Week and Little Britain Challenge Cup (an industry-based regatta). Most events which applied to allow SERs had no SERs actually issued. The Rating Office has proposed restricting the availability of SERs to the 4 events named but the GBR Committee felt that the scheme should continue to be available more widely. A final decision has yet to be made. There has been no substantial pattern of boats upgrading from SER one year to a full IRC certificate the next or, indeed, the other way round.
The Start Up Scheme by contrast has continued to be a success. This helps clubs (and now sailing areas involving a number of clubs) to adopt IRC for the first time and offers discounts on the cost of IRC certificates for the first 2 years; in exchange much of the administration work is done by local representatives who send on co- ordinated and checked information to the Rating Office. 140 certificates were issued under the Start Up Scheme in 2016 compared to 126 in 2015. The main clubs within this total were Weymouth YC and Royal Dart YC and thanks are due to the enthusiastic representatives in each.
James Dadd and representatives of the RYA held a total of 12 Cruiser Racing seminars around the country over the winter 2015-6; all of these were well received attracting a mixture of race organisers and competitors. The emphasis was not only on IRC but on getting more boats out racing under any handicap system (or none); if more boats race under local handicap systems, the thinking is that at least some of these will graduate to racing more competitively under IRC.
It is clear however that there is widespread misunderstanding of the purpose and principles of IRC compared to local handicap systems which are often in fact simplified rating systems and do not change according to boat performance. The RYA’s NHC progressive handicap system has not been accepted widely, but is being used for dual scoring with IRC by a number of clubs.
Again a wide range of different boat types, sizes and ages has been reported as winning races under IRC in GBR during 2016 although event reports and publicity tend to concentrate on the more competitive end of the fleets giving a misleading impression.
A number of successful IRC Championships were again held including national, small boat and double-handed and these will continue in 2017.
The GBR Committee wish to promote IRC as a form of “club membership” with a number of financial and other incentives from marine industry and related suppliers, and this is being investigated. This may go some way to address the (in our view unfair) question “What do I get for my IRC certificate fee?”
The GBR IRC Committee annual meeting in September was again attended by members from sailing areas all around the country and was a useful forum to exchange experiences on what types of racing, classes and events had been successful. Examples were: different course types; cruiser classes based on hull factor; flexible rating bands; short-handed racing; inter-club racing; Start Up Scheme.
IRC Technical Committee Submissions
The GBR IRC Committee supports all the IRC Technical Committee submissions for changes o the IRC Rules for 2017
GBR Submissions to Congress
There are no submissions from GBR to the IRC Congress.
Ian Macdonald GBR IRC Committee Chairman 4 October 2016
Hong Kong Report for IRC Congress 2016
Number of IRC certificates on 31/08/2015: 68 (-12% compared to IRC fleet 2014)
Number of IRC certificates on 30/09/2016 : 74 (+4% / -12% compared to IRC fleet 2015/2014)
Number of new IRC boats (Age date 2016): 3 (4% of IRC fleet 2016)
Number of new IRC boats (no IRC certificate in 2015): 2 (3% of IRC fleet 2016)
Number of non-renewals 2015-2016: 14 (15% of IRC fleet 2015)
Hong Kong continues to be a fairly stable and mature IRC Market and IRC continues to be the rating system of choice. A number of races and Regatta's also continue to dual score with HKPN (the local PY system).
Many of the boats continue to try and optimise their ratings through out the year, both through regular re-measurement of their sail wardrobe as well changes to the hull and rig. The current trend seems to be towards lighter boats with a number reducing bulb weights and increasing draft.
There is no national policy to require endorsed certificates with only one regatta in the year that requires them for Division 0 and Division 1. Approximately 40% of the local fleet have endorsed certificates which is roughly double the number of those that need them to compete in the one annual event that requires them. It would seem that the competitors see some value to an endorsed certificate.
Event participation does suffer from declining numbers but this generally due to continued shortage of crew to allow owners to fully crew their yachts and not to any perceived failings of the IRC rule. There of course continues to be perceptions that certain types or classes of yacht have favourable ratings as has been noted before.
Gideon Mowser 6th October 2016 Irish Report for Congress 2016
In brief:
Number of IRC certificates to Aug 2016: 304 (-7.9% compared to IRC fleet 2015)
2014 2015 % YTD 2015 YTD 2016 % 2016 Proj % IRC 322 341 105.9 330 1.033 304 92.1 314 92.1 ECHO 484 489 101.0 462 1.058 444 96.1 470 96.1
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Mark Mills MILLS DESIGN
JAPAN SAILING FEDERATION 財団法人 日本セーリング連盟
Rule Authority Report to the IRC Congress 2016 Japan (JPN)
General:
This is our 11th season of IRC in Japan. With the total number of certificates issued at the end of 2015 being 369, the size of IRC fleet of around 300 is unchanged in last few years. About half of the certificates are endorsed, this trend is also the same for some time.
Traditionally we have divided our sailing area into 16 regions with each region having a local race organizer who is a member of JSAF. Because of this structure, rule authority is not necessarily involved with organizing races. In the past, we have promoted successfully IRC measurement system and having IRC measurers throughout Japan. However, as far as organizing events, we have some distance with the locals. As GBR had succeeded in Rule Authority’s involvement with clubs in last couple of years, we should be looking at the similar scheme in order to grow our IRC fleet.
Submissions
There are no submissions from JAPAN to the Congress.
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Ta’ Xbiex Seafront, Ta’ Xbiex, Malta
IRC Report 2016 – RMYC MALTA
The downward trend in the RMYC fleet persisted in 2016 with numbers of rated boats dropping from 43 in end August 2015 to 34 at the same time this year. A few more certificates are likely to be requested particularly for the Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Total Certs Rated Boats New Boats
August 2014 45 43 3
December 2014 62 60 5
August 2015 36 34 1
The composition of the fleet remains largely the same, mostly modern production boats within the 10 – 15 metre length band.
The racing programme which runs from March to December and still includes local coastal races, weekend regattas and short offshore races to destinations in nearby Sicily all run under IRC.
The drop in participation in events continuous and has become a matter of concern. Weekend regattas to an interesting location such as Gozo or a nearby Sicilian destination remain fairly well attended but interest in other regattas has declined. It is interesting to point out that the decline in participation is greater than the reduction in the number of rated boats as some boats are ready to get a rating certificate for the one or two events they are interested in but still do not take part in other events.
The RMYC has been looking into ways of reversing this trend but initiatives so far have not been sufficiently successful. The reasons for this decline may be several and may not be limited to racing matters alone as other social issues such as other interests or commitments and a lack of spare time can be relevant.
On a more positive note the club sailing school has grown stronger creating continuous sailing activity around the club. Sailing tuition is open to all ages but the demand has been greatest from the young. Some of the keener sailors have started to train for competition and are now the first young sailors to sail as the RMYC sailing Team. This will hopefully bring young new sailors to help revive the drop in participation in the future.
The two offshore international races the Malta- Syracuse race and the 606 mile Rolex Middle Sea Race include both IRC and ORC Categories. Both these races remain very popular and the Rolex Middle Sea Race has experienced continued growth from international participants in recent years. The Rolex Middle Sea Race is due to start on the 22nd October. Entries so far look like the fleet will be similar in number to 2015 at just over a hundred boats. In this race almost all the boats are expected to enter the IRC Category with a significant number of boats entering both categories. Dual scoring these races attracts entries that normally race under either of the two rating systems while enticing them to enter in the other as well.
Godwin Zammit
Commodore RMYC IRC representative, Malta.
CONGRESS 2016
IRC Report- The Netherlands
On 30th of September 2016 we had 131 IRC Certificates in the Netherlands, on 9th of September 2015 there were 142 valid IRC certificates. In total we had 11 new IRC-certificates issued. These new certificates are mainly issued to participate in international IRC events.
IRC-competition in The Netherlands is under pressure. Eligible IRC events have less and less participants, which effects the IRC competition. Most yachts have an ORC certificate with more and more only an IRC certificate for international IRC events.
In the Netherlands we continue to try to attract international IRC participants to the main events like North Sea Regatta. In close cooperation with ie. RORC for the North Sea Regatta, we continue to improve the format to serve today’s sailors needs better. We remain active for IRC to stimulate Dutch teams to participate in events like Commodores cup and Fastnet Race.
The Dutch Sailing Association (KNWV) and Class Association ( Noordzeeclub) will therefore continue to support IRC next to ORC in the coming years.
This year the Netherlands has no submissions for the IRC Rule; we would like to share thoughts with the members in the congress on the new entrants stimulus, ie. new entrants certificate.
Erik van Vuuren Head of racing and events, Dutch Class Association - Noordzeeclub
IRC CONGRESS 2016 South East Asia - (Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore Report)
The fleet: . Overall Fleet Numbers 2014: 118 . Overall Fleet Numbers 2015: 104 · Number of IRC certificates on 31/08/2015: 41 · Number of IRC certificates on 31/09/2016 : 38
Its always hard to report based on the current format as the main SE Asian sailing calendar only has a few events and little club racing to Mid October due to seasonal factors. However, the number of revalidations to date appear to be on track and the number of older boats requesting updates to expired certs appear to be on the increase this year based on enquiries for measurement. Indicating a potential return to previous levels.
IRC regional activities. Following last year’s Congress, IRC SEA hosted a measurers clinic in Singapore in conjunction with Changi Sailing Club and Singapore Sailing, bringing in Ross Chisholm (AUS) as lead Measurer. The event was held over 3 days covering all aspects of measurement and weighing at Changi Sailing Club. During the event, 7 boats were weighed and measured, leading to 5 new SEA measurers appointed in Singapore. This has resulted in a number of “Old ladies of the past racing fleet” being re-fitted and starting to sail again. Hopefully, they will progress to the racing circuit once modifications are complete.
At Samui Regatta, James joined us in hosting an IRC Owners forum, with the object being to give owners an opportunity to meet James face to face. This was attended by 28 owners and members of the media. It received some very positive comments and will hopefully become an annual event, being held at different regattas in the region.
Regionally, we continue to have a very successful Asian Regatta Circuit which also involves the core racers from HK. The circuit brought a fleet of 6 x 52’s which will hopefully develop a high profile in the region. The downside is that the number of crew required to race has lead locals to jump on the bigger boats giving a decline in the number of smaller boats racing in the regattas this year. Charter Boats continue to grow in numbers and we continue to duel score with NHC and IRC at all regattas.
Singapore has seen the demise of its oldest regatta, The Singapore Straits Regatta. One of the Founding members of the Asian Regatta Circuit, this was mainly due to logistical and regulatory issues as there is now very little sailing area in Singapore which permits easy access for racing especially for larger keelboats.
On a more positive note, Singapore Sailing are making a serious effort to migrate to keel boat racing and have established a fleet of SM40’s and SB20’s in Marina Bay, which is a high visibility location, to promote sailing on larger boats to the Singapore community with numerous Match Racing and “Try Sailing” event being planned in the near future. We have also seen a slow growth of local events running out of Changi Sailing Club and a new Regatta established based on the nearby Indonesian islands.
Malaysia has been quiet with the Raja Muda and Langkawi Regattas continuing to be the main events on the racing calender, mainly being attended by a few local boats from Royal Selengor and a core of visiting yachts. Recently, the sailing members of RSYC have broken away from the club to form the “Peninsular Yacht Club” and have re-introduced weekend racing under IRC and NHC handicaps. We are currently putting together a re-measurement programme to get the older boats up to scratch.
Thailand – The local keel boat racing fleets have remained pretty static, however the area has seen a dramatic growth in Multihull sailing over the past few years with a fleet of 20+ Multihulls in the 30-50 ft range now attending events on a regular basis. As a result, there has been a drop in the number of monohulls taking part in club racing on both coast.
As a side note, the Australian OMR rating system is current used for multihulls, however there is a growing number of requests for an alternative system to be used. Maybe, food for thought on future developments.
Simon James IRC SEA
• Country : TURKEY • Name of the owners’ association : TURKISH OFFSHORE RACING CLUB • Name of the representative : CAHIT UREN The fleet:
* Number of IRC certificates on 31/08/2015: 329 (-8% compared to IRC fleet 2014)
* Number of IRC certificates on 30/09/2016 : 308 (-6 %/-13 % compared to IRC fleet 2015/2014)
* Number of new IRC boats (Age date 2016): 10 (3.2 % of IRC fleet 2016)
* Number of new IRC boats (no IRC certificate in 2015): 20 (6.4 % of IRC fleet 2016)
* Number of non-renewals 2015-2016: 41 (12 % of IRC fleet 2015)
* Evolution of the IRC fleet compare to the other rules (PHRF, IMS, ORC…): NO OTHER RULES
Comments -I
• 2016 has been marked by the increasing number of yachts and races. There have been 20 new yachts and totally 186 races all around Turkish blue waters
• IRC Rule is the sole rating rule represented by TORC as the Rule Authority since 1995.
• The Turkish Offshore Racing Club Trophy, is a series of races, consisting of spring and summer races, that are deemed as the most popular trophy of the Turkish Sailing Community since 45 years. The Trophy was made up of 19 inshore and 3 offshore races in 2016. Apart form that, there are two series DUO and the Autumn Series Races consisting of 5 races. The participation to those races are approximately 60-70 yachts, that are classifed solely by TCC factor, in IRC divisions.
• Istanbul Sailing Club has organised 8 races at the Sea of Marmara with participation of 40-50 yachts.
• Double handled regattas were realized fourth time this year by TORC and BAYK (Bodrum Offshore Racing Club) and won critical recognition among the sailing community and shall be continued .
Comments -II
• In other venues, namely Cesme/Izmir, Bodrum, Bursa, Gocek and Marmaris, racing scene was also very active. With the initiatives of Bodrum, Izmir, Bursa and Marmaris clubs, who lead successful WinterTrophies covering 14-21 races in 7-8 weekend events from January to May, race season is continuing now for 12 months in west and southern Turkey. ( Apart from İstanbul races, Winter Trophy is organised in Bursa, İzmir, Bodrum, Marmaris, Gocek between January & May and also Autumn Races are organised between July & October. Approximately 30-40 yachts participate to those Trophies in each event.) Marmaris Race Week by the end of October and Loryma Summer Cup by end of August, both organized by Marmaris International Yacht Club(MIYC), with TORC support for race management, are the two major events. Marmaris Week celebrates this year its 27. anniversary and will attract more than 1200 sailors in 200 boats from 20 different countries. They also organize the Channel Regatta jointly with Rhodes Yacht Club since 10 years and Loryma Cup since 5 years.
• Göcek Yacht Club is continuing its programme on May with Göcek Regatta 17. year (50 yachts) and in November Autumn Regatta with 65 yachts.
• All those venues are supported by TORC/UNCL trained measurers.
• In 2016 number of endorsed yachts increased considerably to 77 % of the certificates. Propositions
For each of your propositions, please try to address and answer the following questions :
• Rule definition (reference of the rule) which is concerned by your proposition : NONE
• Comments and required evolutions : NONE
• Proposition for a new writing of the rule : NONE
Report from the USA - 2016 • Number of boats on December 31, 2015 252 • Number of boats on August 31, 2016 175 2014 2015 2016 (Aug 31) • Number of new boats 33 33 13 • Percentage of endorsed boats 84% 74% 79% There is no national endorsement policy. No events require endorsed certificates.
Additional info: - The number of certificates continues to decline. IRC is no longer used in the Newport-Bermuda Race, on the West Coast or in the Great Lakes. - Nonetheless, IRC remains the measurement rule used in the most number of events in the US. - Strongest presence continues in the Northeast; more than 80% of USA certificates.
Major IRC Events: Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Race - January Key West Race Week - January Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race - February (alternating years) American YC Spring Series - April/May Storm Trysail Block Island Race - May New York YC Annual Regatta - June Annapolis to Newport Race - June (alternating years) Storm Trysail Block Island Race Week - June (alternating years) New York YC Race Week at Newport - July (alternating years) Ida Lewis Distance Race - August Stamford YC Vineyard Race - August Long Island Sound IRC Championship-September American YC Fall Series - September/October Nassau Cup Ocean Race - November Wirth M. Munroe Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach Yacht Race - December